News
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
FO asked to summon US envoy regarding Dr Aafia’s case* Senate committee chairman says whole nation wants early release of scientist
By Tahir Niaz
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday asked the Foreign Office (FO) to summon US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson to the FO, for discussing the possible release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently in US custody.
The Committee Chairman Senator Talha Mahmood asked the FO to tell Patterson that the Pakistani nation was concerned about Dr Aafia and wanted her early release. Earlier, FO officials told the committee that Dr Aafia could face punishment from a 30-year jail term to life imprisonment. The Committee chairman said that there were at least nine cases in US history where the US president had pardoned court punishment. He asked the FO to collect information on the developments made by the Pakistani embassy in the US in Dr Aafia’s case so far, before the committee itself would summon Patterson to the committee meeting.
Mahmood asked the FO to submit a comprehensive report on Dr Aafia’s case within 15 days.
The committee was of the view that it was the prime responsibility of the government to protect its citizens residing abroad and Dr Aafia Siddiqui had committed no crime and the case against her was baseless which must be withdrawn.
The FO assured members of the committee that all out efforts would be made for the safe repatriation of Dr Aafia.
The committee also constituted a sub-committee consisting of representatives of the Interior Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Islamabad chief commissioner and parliamentarians to look into options to expedite the shifting of foreign missions to the diplomatic enclave.
The Foreign Office told the committee that there were 79 diplomatic missions in Islamabad, out of which only 28 were located inside the diplomatic enclave.
Foreign Ministry officials told the committee that a special cell had been established at the FO to exclusively focus on the repatriation of Pakistanis who were accused of various charges around the world.
FO told the committee that currently more than 6,000 Pakistanis are in the jails of various foreign countries including those imprisoned for violating immigration laws and the ones serving long sentences for serious crimes. The committee asked the FO to leave no stone unturned for the repatriation of the Pakistanis jailed abroad.
On a question raised by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Senator Tariq Azeem about taking into custody four Pakistani nationals by the US Embassy in Islamabad in connection with the New York bomb plot, both the Foreign and the Interior Ministries expressed their ignorance.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk